


Reckless and Beautiful

by cometskiies



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Dysfunctional Relationships, Friendship/Love, Hope you stick around to see the end, How does one tag accordingly, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slow Build, This is going to be a long journey my friends, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-20
Updated: 2014-02-21
Packaged: 2017-12-20 19:56:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/891235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cometskiies/pseuds/cometskiies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a series of destructive events, Jackson Overland has found himself at the bottom. Alone and depressed he spends his days as miserable as any man that just hit the age of 20 would but with no money for anything besides rent and food if that even what other choice does he have besides nothing. Until one seemingly usual night, Jackson never thought that bumping into someone he didn't even catch a glimpse at would end up changing his life forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the party, I mean the Prologue. I intend to chapter this fic out properly but with the way things are going I'd like to warn you that either the chapters will be short or obnoxiously long (due to merging two chapters into one). Regardless of that I hope you enjoy!

# Prologue

Looking in the mirror, he seemed less and less disgusted with himself each passing day. Though he may have hit rock bottom in his eyes, at first, that is, he didn’t quite mind it anymore but he had always dreamed he’d do something greater with his life; but plans change. Here though he had made good and loyal friends, people he could actually trust and that in itself was something he’d never trade for.

Despite everything he felt, Jack was young and quite beautiful for a boy. A fresh yet usually tired looking pale face with dyed white hair, bright blue eyes and a slim frame; probably a little too slim but he’d rather be hungry than homeless. Thankfully his boss often brought him leftovers and even his landlord cooked for him sometimes, thinking about it Jack was actually spoiled if anything. The first loud vibration from the music in the other room jolted him from his thoughts and he scanned the frame of the worn out mirror he stood at. It was his, a few pieces of clothing and some empty and full glasses were scattered over the desk it was attached too but that was usual. He stared at the few stickers that littered the glass of his and his partners stage names, ‘Snowcap’ was his. It made him laugh sometimes since he is unable to recall where it even came from, something about his white hair and the word ‘captain'. 

“Jack! You’re up first tonight what’s the hold up?” The voice was easily recognizable, the only female strong and brave enough to work alongside a bunch of men. Elisa was her name secretly but famously she was known as ‘The Tooth Fairy’ for her obsession with teeth. She always had some sort of decorative piece of jewellery on to showcase that along with the dangerously realistic collection of loose teeth tattooed on her ankle. 

It was sort of the norm to get a tattoo representing the stage name that fans have given, as coworkers they were family here but receiving a name was considered a symbol of acceptance; something very important in this line of work. Jack himself had a detailed snowflake plastered over the entire back of his neck. There were a few quiet blue hues in it to give it a little frost effect and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t like it but damn was it painful. 

Elisa was a rather beautiful lady, with dark brown hair that had a natural wave to it that rested past her shoulders. Her eyes were blue but she usually wore contacts to work, which was something he never did quite understand why she did it. As a result she had unnatural color iris’ that switched from grey to purple, sometimes even yellow or a bright green like she wore tonight. She was thin but not obnoxiously so like he felt he was, had a bit of muscle to her and she had the most flawless smile. Jack was often teased about liking her more than he should have but both of them knew exactly what their relationship was and both were perfectly happy with the strong friendship they had. 

After taking a second glance at what Elisa was wearing he smiled then casually downed his first shot of the night, “Your tits look good in that.” He pointed out bluntly to her before pulling his t-shirt off over his head and eyeing her over once more, purple, of course. Probably a little too sparkly and even more so too revealing, Jack cared about this woman like a sister and he didn’t see how she could end up stuck here with the rest of them dancing the night away for a wage. 

Elisa looked flattered as usual and obviously felt obligated to return a compliment for it since she snatched one of the few filled shot glasses on his desk, holding it up as she spoke, “And your ass looks great in blue.” With that she grinned and tilted her head back, taking the shot. 

“I paid for that you know,” Jack scowled at her, crossing his arms in a very sarcastically displeased manner. She only laughed and gave Jack a gentle nudge, “Yeah, and you owed me. Now go get your ass on stage or the man won’t be happy.” 

Jack rolled his eyes and made his way out to his spot, the main one. Which both pleased and displeased him in the same notion, just thinking about the fact that he was ‘popular’ was a little disturbing. He twisted to avoid any contact with the seemingly sober people that had already shuffled in, snatching another shot from the bartender that always left one at the edge of the counter for him to grab. It wasn’t so much that he wanted to get drunk and he never did, it was the numbing that he enjoyed – it made dancing all night that much easier. 

There was something about it, the dancing that is, that seemed to make all the bad things go away, he felt lost in his own fantasy world and that was the reason he stayed here. If he really tried he could probably get a job somewhere else, someone considered decent but the escape that this provided was enough to make him to do it for free. Though he figured he’d just fuck up any kind of job that required an actual functioning human being so it was easy for him to brush off any thought of leaving this place. 

As usual he shoved off the stage sweaty and tired after a few hours; manoeuvring down the small walkway to the back door that lead to their dressing rooms backstage. He didn’t like to be touched by all the now drunken strangers in the bar; it was downright weird especially since he was pretty much naked which is why he appreciated the fact that the stage was so close to the back door. 

Once he entered through the door, one of his other coworkers Kris (openly known as ‘Sandman') handed him his t-shirt in passing as he headed out so Jack offered him a smile and an encouraging slap on the butt. He laughed at the sarcastically disturbed look he got back and threw the shirt over his shoulder, pulling the loose bills from his underwear that he found on the floor of the stage and threw them out onto his desk, “What do they think I am a stripper?” He hated accepting them but it was in the job description to take them regardless, it was annoying and Jack thought it was disrespectful on both parts. Technically it was against the rules for them to do it but once some of them were obliterated it was pointless to try and stop it. 

Letting out a long, heavy and exhausted sigh the boy plunked back into the chair in front of his desk, slumping down in the seat as his eyes shut slowly. He stayed still, barely breathing for quite some time, he often did this but it never failed to make everyone who saw him grow concerned and ask him if he was alright which he always gave a reassuring grunt too. Eventually he found the incentive to pull his shirt from his shoulder and tug it on over his head before lying back in the chair again. 

Life was tiring; Jack was truly tired of it, struggling almost every day for food. Wondering when things would become bearable, when things would turn around for the better. It had to one day; he believed that if not anything else. Gently he pressed his fingers against his shut eyes in an attempt to wake himself, even if he was first on shift he always stayed until the place closed. He enjoyed the company of his coworkers and sometimes even went out in the crowd to dance but tonight everything just seemed to pile and render him motionless. 

“We’re closed now Jack.” He felt a familiar feminine hand on his shoulder so he stood slowly, letting out a sigh then mumbled, “Alright. See you tomorrow.” Stumbling back a bit, bumping against his desk he blinked down at Elisa and smiled, returning the hug she was giving him with one arm. She didn’t move though, she stood there for so long so he wrapped both arms around her and squeezed her gently; something reassuring they both needed. With that Jack finally put his pants back on and slipped into his jacket and slung his bag over his shoulder, leaving a kiss of Elisa’s cheek and waving to his boss as he stepped out into the frigid cold of the night. 

Shoving his hands in his pockets he walked along the sidewalk, almost silently, almost like he didn’t exist at all. He felt that way, regardless of any kind of apparent ‘fame’ he had at work he always went home to the same run down, broken and miserable place. It was nothing good for him and sometimes he just wanted to never wake up but he had to believe things would get better, they would. 

Jack blinked, letting out a soft gasp when he bumped into someone. He had never seen anyone on the streets in this area so late that wasn’t drunk or half naked, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking.” Ducking his head he quickly carried on, unknowing that the one he bumped into looked back and watched as the boy left. 

He pushed through the door of his apartment and set his bag and jacket on the floor with a thump, ignoring the knocking and voice from the other side of his door which was his landlord. Dealing with that overly happy and smiling and perfect person right now was not going to go well for him so he just thumped down on the bed, curling onto his side. Staring out the window he laid there awake for hours, unable to shake the feeling of disappointment from his body before exhaustion finally took over. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a series of destructive events, Jackson Overland has found himself at the bottom. Alone and depressed he spends his days as miserable as any man that just hit the age of 20 would but with no money for anything besides rent and food if that even what other choice does he have besides nothing. Until one seemingly usual night, Jackson never thought that bumping into someone he didn't even catch a glimpse at would end up changing his life forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, WOW. I managed to finally wrap up this chapter and I honestly have no excuses. If I wasn't being lazy, I was unmotivated and if not that I was too depressed to function let along write a love story about two dumb butts. I hope you can forgive me for my ignorance and I do intent to see this story in my mind ALL the way through the end because it'd really be a shame not to share it with all you lovely folks. Hope you enjoy!

### Chapter 1

# I'll Hold My Breath

Waking the next morning with a start, Jack gasped for his breath and groaned as his arm moved over his eyes, “Another nightmare…” The dreams had been relentless in the past few months and they happened almost every night. It was driving the boy crazy; all he wanted was a good night’s sleep for once. Dragging himself out of bed he slugged over to the fridge, opening it and sighing at the emptiness before grabbing a small meal replacement can and twisting the cap open.

His gaze shifted over to the clock beside his bed, three in the afternoon. Not much a surprise, he usually woke up around this time. Tossing the now empty can that was his lunch in the garbage he stretched out and got dressed in another loose t-shirt and jeans, it seemed like those were the only things he really owned. He quickly brushed his teeth and used his hands to mess with his hair a bit to make it look decent then headed out the door, jacket in hand.

Mindless from his lack of sleep, Jack slugged his way to work surprisingly grateful that he knew the path off by heart so he didn’t have to pay much attention.

Having the keys to the building was great too since Jack hated staying at his apartment; it was too cramped and made him feel overly claustrophobic. Jack locked himself in and went out onto the floor, checking to make sure there was no leftover glass or spills that were forgotten from the morning clean up. Everything was fine, as usual and Jack climbed up ontop of the bar counter to lay on it, he loved the cool feeling it gave across his skin.

The boy hummed quietly while adjusting to the stiff surface; letting his thoughts drift off, thinking of things he really shouldn’t. The one thing that Jack desperately wanted was a relationship though he’d never admit it and the fact of the matter was he was horrible at them. He never shared his feelings and was very closed off, for good reason but regardless of that he was scared, it was hard to open up and be so vulnerable to someone. Yet despite all that the boy loved so easily and carelessly, happy to give his whole heart to another. Constantly he went through the inner turmoil of wanting and not wanting because of this, it was endless and it was something that kept him up late at night.

“Just another day,” he had to remind himself, “Tomorrow will be different.” The promise he always tried so hard at but failed to keep.

Hours passed before he was disturbed from what turned out to be a nap on the bar counter, he heard some muffled voices but he didn’t think they were directed to him so he didn’t move. Jack listened as the words became clearer. It was Kris on his phone, so was the assumption since nobody was talking back that Jack could hear. He smiled when he heard, “Yeah he’s here, sleeping on the bar.”

Jack sat up slowly, rubbing at his eyes then blinked them open looking over at Kris who offered him a genuine smile. Though he tried, Jack couldn’t really do the same. His hand ran through his hair as he hopped off the counter and followed his co-worker into the back room and he looked around for some kind of clock to find out what time it was but they had all seemed to vanish.

“Hey Frosty,” he heard from across the room after the click of his phone turning off; again with the bad nicknames. Kris was what you would call the tall, dark and handsome type. Not that he was all that dark actually; he was the friendliest person Jack had ever met. Tall though, yes obnoxiously so, probably three or four inches over Jack’s five feet and seven some inches.

“What time is it?” Jack asked, looking around again as his brows knit together, “Where the hell are all the damn clocks?” He heard Kris laugh, then felt a hand on his shoulder; it was warm and rather comforting.

“It’s just after eight Jack, you can go back to sleep if you want to.” Kris said, sounding a bit more concerned than he probably meant too.

“I’m fine.” Jack turned, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror and then understood why Kris sounded the way he did. His face showed a million and one signs of exhaustion.

“Snowyboy!” Jack let out an audible groan, knowing the man who was speaking to him with that disgusting pet name would hear and maybe one day get the hint. It was his boss, Nick. The one who owns and even helped build Sapphire; he considered the bar his precious baby. Though Jack had nothing against the man and he was more than happy to do anything he asked since they were treated so nicely the whole nickname thing was not to his liking.

The man was large but not overweight; in fact Jack couldn’t imagine him any other way, which seemed odd to him. It was just hard to picture someone with that booming voice with the thick Russian accent come out of a tiny body like his. Nick always had some sort of facial hair, usually a short beard and Jack always told him it made him look like an old man but he didn’t seem to mind. Jack and Nick were more alike in physical appearance, blue eyes and white hair and skin splattered with a few freckled. It gave a great first impression at least.

“I hate it when you call me that, you know-” Jack started but was forced to let his voice fall off when Nick begin talking in his ‘much louder than Jack’s’ voice.

“Ah! Is no big deal, are you in need of lecture for not sleeping in bed?” Nick knit his brows together and  he gave Jack a dangerously stern glare but the boy just chuckled, a wide smile meeting his face. So it was him on the phone with Kris earlier. Before he was able to respond Nick spoke again, much quieter this time. The words he said weren’t to Jack’s liking, it could mean anything, and it could be anybody; why did that man always have to beat around the bush?

“There is man outside wanting to see you.”

Jack’s expression changed then, he was suddenly frightened and hesitant to make a move. He looked over at Kris who took a few steps towards the door as if offering to go with Jack and he took that easily, glad only in this moment that Kris could read him like a book. It wasn’t like he had done anything wrong, or weird, or gotten into any fights and mouthed off to anyone; yet all he felt in his gut was… some kind of mix between fear and sick excitement.

When he opened the back door he simply stared at the man standing on the other side of the threshold. He was so tall, taller than Kris and looked so composed. His hair was dark and messy but in that annoyingly perfect way, well dressed and did not fit in with the scenery of the back alley at all. After Jack got over his immediate little boy’s crush at the man’s appearance he blinked a few times, he shifted the weight on his feet, “Uh, can I help you?”

“Would ya like to go out for dinner?” The older man said, obviously Australian and so straight-forward it caused Jack to stumble back a step then he felt Kris’ hand against his back.

He watched as the man’s expression shifted, annoyed, definitely irritated. The stranger stared directly at the arm that was inbetween him and Kris, Jack glanced at the one who was currently both a physical and mental support for him with a confused look but all he got back was a shrug.

“I don’t even know you.” Jack said, almost scowling. He wanted to slam the door in his face but for whatever reasons his hand only flinched against the handle.

“We met last night, when ya ran into me.” The man explained, so easily. Why did everything seem so easy for him?

Swallowing hard Jack stared, he hadn’t even looked up or seen him how could this guy consider that meeting? His eyes narrowed and he felt himself tense a bit more, along with that feeling Kris’ hand gripped at his shirt as a warning for him to stay calm. He knew Jack was quick to have breakdowns.

“Actually, I’ve known ya longer than that.” The man continued, clearing his throat.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Jack snapped.

“Ya work here, don’t ya? Even an old bloke like me needs a night off once in a while.” The man chuckled before continuing, “Actually I only come ‘ere to watch _you_ dance, specifically.”

“That’s not creepy at all.”

“Trust me, it’s a compliment.”

Jack’s gaze fell as he racked through his brain, the pieces of everything this man was saying finally filtering together. ‘ _So this weirdo watches me dance and now suddenly has the urge to go out to dinner without even knowing my name, this is just great. Like my life needed some stalker right now.’_

“Well I guess… dinner would be fine…” Jack couldn’t see it but knew that Kris’ eyes were bulging out of his skull. Honestly, Jack could use a nice meal. Since they guy offered he assumed it would be a _free_ nice meal, even better.

“Excellent. Ah, m’name. It’s Aster and I’m afraid I only know yer stage name, why don’t ya tell me yer real one?” As he spoke he reached into his pant pocket and handed Jack what looked like a business card. He stared at it for a long moment wondering if he made the wrong decision but the card stayed in place until Jack reached up and grabbed it.

 _‘This is just weird, how does this guy get off asking me out and then getting my name?’_ Jack thought before sighing and running his thumb over the piece of paper in his hand, “It’s Jack.”

The teen’s head perked back up when Aster started speaking again, seeing a smile gracing his features, “Does tomorrow work for ya, Jack?”

Jack looked back behind him, searching silently for Nick but found no trace of him. He hummed thoughtfully turning towards Kris; he came here every day whether he was supposed to be or not and always ended up dancing in his underwear somehow though he didn’t mind.

Kris gave an encouraging shake of his head in acknowledgment to Jack’s silent ‘am I actually scheduled tomorrow’ question and he smiled, dragging his hand off Jack’s back as he turned and walked away.

He felt a strange nervousness encase his body once he was left alone with Aster but he took in a slow, deep breath. It was awkward to think about, he had never really been on a date before. When Jack turned to look in the doorway again the man was still standing there, his expression much softer than before, though Jack thought he would have left. It felt extra awkward now.

“Anyways, uh, s-see you tomorrow?” The boy cracked a nervous smile, knowing he should.

“Seven o’clock, I’ll meet ya ‘ere.” Aster gave a full grin in return and with that he turned and walked away.

At first Jack didn’t move but he shifted forward and peeked out the door, watching the older man walk away until he couldn’t see him anymore. He turned and stepped inside, shutting the door quietly and stared at the floor dumbly. Why had he done that? Jack jumped, startled when he heard the clearing of a throat, the obnoxious ‘give me your attention’ kind of noise. Looking up he saw that Nick, Kris and now Elisa were standing there, all with different faces.

Nick looked curious, protective but this kind of reaction was more than expected. Kris seemed perfectly content and happy with the situation; his bright smile showing though Jack wasn’t able to put a finger on why exactly. Most confusing was Elisa who was bouncing on her feet with her hands clasped together like a giddy school girl.

Jack scoffed and shoved past them whispering things like ‘ _idiots_ ’ and ‘ _none of your business_ ’ type of things under his breathe. He ended up lulling around in the back, entertaining and being entertained by his fellow coworkers. Jack wasn’t supposed to go out on the floor tonight and if he was being honest he really didn’t feel like it. The encounter earlier with Aster had completely thrown him off. It was all he could think about and so many hazard cones kept popping up in his brain.

Stupid things, really, like where they were going and if he had to dress up. He was hoping for a big fat no to that only because he had nothing to look dressed up in. Jack was still trying to jam odd pieces together; his biggest question was why Aster would bother asking him out and what exactly compelled him to do so? In the eyes of the uneducated, Jack was considered bar scum and not looked upon fondly by many. If this man seemingly _knew_ all of this then… why?

Supposing he could ask while they were out Jack tried to shrug the thoughts off, pressing off the arms of the chair he was sitting in.

“I’m going.” He mumbled, not caring if anyone heard him. Elisa came up beside him and set a surprisingly heavy hand and tight grip on his shoulder. Jack grunted before he turned to look at her, not wanting to see his expression and for good reason. She still looked as thrilled as she had hours ago.

“So what was all that earlier anyways? You’ve got a date, that’s great!” She chirped excitedly but Jack just stared at her.

“If you call dinner with a stalker great – then yeah.” Jack said, letting his gaze shift to in front of himself again to watch where he was going.

“A stalker? No way! He didn’t look like the type.” Elisa sounded very displeased, the tone in her voice irked Jack.

“Well, not really… but he knew I worked here and said he came _specifically_ to watch me dance. That’s pretty creepy and stalker-like if you ask me.” He shrugged, wishing she’d drop the subject and let him leave.

“Ah,” She said with a knowing smile then let go of Jack but turned to stop him from walking, “Jack, relax. Just go and enjoy yourself, you deserve a night out. Am I understood?”

The boy laughed and rolled his eyes as he pulled his jacket on, “Yeah, I got it. I’ll do my best.”

“Atta boy!” Elisa grinned and pulled Jack into a tight hug, the boy shifted awkwardly before returning the hug loosely and smiled. He gave her a quick thanks before heading out into the cold, it was already almost one in the morning yet he had gone and slept most of the day away.

He ended up doing the same thing the next day, only bothering to shuffle out of bed once five rolled around. It had been nice to stay put under the covers for so long but his body ached from it. Jack got ready as best as he could though most of that consisted of sighing at himself in the mirror and making a complete wreck of his closet. Eventually he called Kris and asked to borrow a suit, to which his co-worker happily agreed and was over within the hour. It took some time to get it fitted properly on Jack, tucking the sleeves and pant legs to accommodate for the lack of height but in the end they were both pleased with the result.

Thankfully, Kris offered to drive Jack to work so he could meet Aster there on time. Walking in the suit was not something that seemed like a good idea either and he was happy to have avoided that. Once they made it to Sapphire, Jack groaned at every little prick and pet to perfect his look, especially the ones from Elisa.

“Will you quit it already? I ain’t a damn monkey.” He spat, crossing his arms over his chest.

Elisa drew her hands back with a small squeak, “Sorry! Force of habit.” She offered a small smile then finally buzzed off.

Jack’s head jerked up when he heard a knock at the back door and once again had to wonder where all the clocks have gone. He stood and made his way to the door slowly, hesitating at the handle for a few moments before opening it to find himself in the exact same position he was yesterday besides the fact that he was in a suit right now.

“Ya look nice.” Aster smiled, shifting his way out of the frame to allow Jack access outside. 

He could say the same about Aster, there was something so timid yet striking about the man's features. A strong jaw and slightly curved up nose, perfect teeth behind a perfect smile. Yet again the mop of what looked like a dark blue, hinging on brown toned hair awkwardly looking like a masterpiece that took again. Nothing compared to his eyes though, it was almost like Spring itself slept in Aster's eyes with how many different shades of green they seemed to be. Easy on the eyes was a completely disturbing understatement. The boy mumbled a quiet thank you, waving back at everyone as he stepped out, wincing at the wink Elisa gave, “She really needs to give it a break.”

Chuckling coming from above him caught his attention; he turned and looked up at Aster with a frown. He had been serious and here was this guy laughing about it like he had any idea. Before Jack had a chance to say anything his body jerked up from the slouch it was in when a warm arm set across his shoulders, “Let’s not be late for the reservation.”

Jack nodded and walked with him, he felt awkward. That was most definitely not the right word but he stuck with it anyways, since the walk wasn’t very long at all he barely had a chance to think about it. Aster didn’t speak at all, which he found a little strange but when he looked up again to see his face he seemed happy, he even noticed Jack and gave him a smile. Was he being quiet because he knew how Jack was feeling? It was easy to assume that since Jack felt like he was radiating worry and the need to run away.

Being seated at the restaurant was even more stressful but Aster finally spoke so he was happy for that, “Is this spot okay?”

 _‘Oh god, don’t say something you think is funny.’_ “Yes, it’s fine.” Jack kept his gaze down at the table, only looking up when the other mentioned something about it being a quiet spot. He was right, there were hardly any other tables around them and in fact they were all empty. That was comforting, he wondered if Aster planned it this way.

“You didn’t have to do this,” The words came easily; it was something Jack said so often.

“I’m not taking ya out to dinner to be charitable. I sincerely wanted to spend time wit’ ya, get to know ya more than just a dancer on the stage.”

Jerking uncomfortably Jack’s gaze fall again, this time because he was embarrassed rather than anxious; the whole situation was so strange, he felt like he was still in bed dreaming.

Their waiter came and they ordered drinks, Aster got some sort of alcoholic concoction and Jack stuck to water. The pair talked about the menu, a few sentences here and there about what they liked and didn’t like. Jack wasn’t surprised to find out that Aster had a taste for expensive things like artwork but more puzzled to know that he also humbled himself with gardening. It was hard to keep from saying boring things, Jack liked dancing and that was about it, he couldn’t help but smile when he was complimented on the fact.

Jack had remembered the steaks his father used to make and the endless, endless amounts of pasta that his mother made for him. Two things he missed dearly in his diet yet he hesitated to buy them off the menu. Insisting that a starter would be enough to fill his stomach and it very well would be, Aster pushed him on purchasing a full meal. After 10 minutes of back and forth bickering, Aster being much more level headed about the whole thing, Jack gave a defeated sigh and agreed to get a steak when the waiter returned.

Aster ordered something similar but with some different side and Jack wasn’t about to be picky, he simply agreed to the first thing the waiter offered.

“I didn’t think you’d be a baked potato kinda guy.”

Blinking a few times to process what Aster had just said Jack shook his head, “I love potatoes, I eat them a lot since you don’t have to eat too much of it to be full.” A small chuckle escaped the teen and the other man grinned.

“Do ya cook?”

“Sometimes, yeah.” Jack paused, folding his arms in front of him over the table. “My mom taught me a lot of her recipes when I was younger since I was always in the kitchen anyways. She figured I should be helpful rather than just annoying and in the way.”

“I’d love to try yer cookin’ sometime.”

Flushing, the teen’s gaze fell, blunt fingernails pressing into his skin, “Maybe one day.” It was then that Jack realized just how comfortable he had gotten and just how much he was _talking_. Aster was just using filler speech while he kept on rambling on about nothing. “What about you, is there a kitchen thumb to go with your green one?”

Aster snorted and shook his head, “Not a cook, but a baker. Though I can’t ‘ave many sweets I love to make ‘em.” Staring in awe for a moment, not only at the information but in appreciation for just how nice the man’s smile was Jack laughed.

“Well, you can bake them and I’ll eat them. I don’t have any problem with that.” They both shared an overly loud laugh, Jack quickly setting his pale hands over his lips trying to hush himself. Contagious laughter was dangerous. He stiffened when he saw the waiter heading their way with what looked like their food which was great because he was starving; not eating all day probably wasn’t the best idea.

Taking in a deep, thankful breath as the waiter walked away Jack smiled, “Okay, getting this was a great idea. Thank you.” He looked up at Aster who smiled back at him and urged Jack to dig in.

More idle chit-chat drew out through eating dinne, a trip to the circus that Aster went to when he was younger, an explosion that Jack once caused with his oven earning him a badly burned pizza and that one fateful night that they happened to bump into each other. All the conversations seemed to rouse laughter out of the teen; he didn’t remember the last time he’d laughed so much in one sitting because usually he was by himself or busy dozing off. Aster had him wide awake though, the food was helping too.

As expected, Jack made a face when Aster took the whole bill upon himself but he kept his mouth shut. Knowing for certain that it would be a losing battle, one he was a bit too sheepish to admit he was happy to surrender since he probably couldn’t cover his own side of it anyways.

Though he was rather used to it, Jack shivered when the cold of the night bit at his skin and it was strangely reassuring to have Aster’s arm settled on his shoulders again. They walked slow, talking about the stars and seeing who knew the most constellations. Jack did, to both of their surprise. The boy always loved looking at the stars and mention after mention of them throughout grade school Jack just seemed to catch on.

Nerves flooded Jack when they neared his house, Aster was gonna have to see the apartment that was barely holding together that he called a place to live and he knew it’d be embarrassing. “I can get there from here on my own.” He croaked, squeezing his arm gently.

“Don’t be stupid, ya could bump into weirdo’s out ‘ere.” Aster smirked and looked down at Jack who gave him a playful glare back. Why did he have to be so tall? He must be at least six feet tall!

“Right, wouldn’t want that to happen.” The teen’s eyes rolled as his head moved to face forward again. He swallowed hard and slowed at his door step, considering walking right past it but deciding that was a dumb idea. “This is it.”

Shrugging Aster’s arm off him he took a step back, paused, then walked up the steps. Hearing the footsteps follow behind him had his body rigid again, fist tightening around the handle. “I’m not letting you in.”

Aster snorted and moved to turn Jack gently by the shoulder so they could face each other, “I don’t know who ya think I am or might be and I probably don’t wanna know, but I am most definitely not a first date fling kinda guy Jack. In fact, I’m not one to go on dates at all.”

 _Oh,_ well now he just felt stupid. An apology was about to fall from his lips but an unexpected warm pair met with his cheek and left him stunned, staring up at Aster.

“I had fun tonight, and though I ain’t coming in, I’d sure love to see ya again.”

If anything, Jack was falling in love with Aster’s laugh. It really was the most contagious thing cause he found he too was giggling to himself; he really had been an idiot to think that in the first place. “Okay,” he answered dumbly, with a wide smile he was trying to hide behind closed lips. “I had fun too, so… thank you.”

“You’ve got ma number.” Aster spoke softly as he turned to make his way down the steps. He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and looked up at Jack to give him another smile. “See ya later, mate.”

Jack gave a small huff and waved, “See ya.” Watching as the other took his first few steps away, the teen finally turned to open the door and go inside. For a few moments he just stood there then he bulleted up towards his place, flinching when he slammed his own doorway and spent the next few hours pacing around his floor.

It was _really_ fun with Aster. Jack was so easily his old self around him but it felt like he shouldn’t have gone, the feeling was deep in his gut and it made him feel sick. Not that he didn’t deserve it, not that he regretted it but the fear that seemed to flood inside him had a sickening grip all of a sudden. The boy put his back against the wall beside his bed and slid down it to sit on the floor, one hand clutching his stomach and the other set roughly in his hair. It was then that he realized that he was already attached and there was not a doubt in his mind that this would end in hurt.

“ _Shit._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is next, currently untitled since I'll be writing up a chapter layout for the series so I can come up with clever titles then. Thanks for reading and do continue to be patience, college is almost over.

**Author's Note:**

> In the next installment, which happens to be Chapter 1 'I'll Hold My Breath' Jack and his mysterious counterpart see each other face to face - their first conversation gets a little awkward.


End file.
